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Month: November 2015

I was prompted to write about this subject because of many comments from people I know, as well as because of what is happening in the world.

Where to Begin for Balance and Change?

For one, you have to be clear about what is important in your life. Many of us care about family. We want our family to have good homes, jobs and more than what they need. We may also crave acceptance, acknowledgment and safety. Many of us want balance in our quality of life. Balance in our personal lives is important, as well as in the work we do. Unfortunately, sometimes life seems to interfere. And, things as we all know, seldom come as we expect.

What Does Balance Mean?

Let’s start by putting certain things in perspective. What is the elusive “balance”? The word has been used ad nauseam. But, it’s pretty simple. All of us strive for some sort of harmony in our lives. Some of us manage better than others. Some are used to life the way it is, balanced or not. Others want nothing but change in the hopes of achieving equity between competing interests in life. In other words, balance. Change could be anything from living arrangements, residence or city or work options, such as a job or self-employment.

Where to Begin to Get Balance?

Where do we start? Prioritize, write down what’s the most important thing you need to change in your life then the second best thing and so on. Keep it simple. Do not write down twenty things even if there may be so many. Start with the first few and start tackling them. Focus on the most pressing. One of the major reasons why people fail to make change, and find balance, is because they don’t realize the greatest chance for success comes from taking it one step at a time. They don’t understand they have to first create the foundation, consistently, and then put the building blocks on top, level by level.

For me, because I’m visual I like to write things down. I then deconstruct it. One of the ways I do this is to write the pluses and minuses for my options.

Next, visualize how it will make you feel if you do that change in your life. Will you find the balance you want? Would it make you feel better? Would the experience or action enrich your life and change it for the better? Think of where you are now and where you want to be.

Many times when there is any change in our life and we are not used to it, we get overwhelmed and at times frozen in our tracks. That is why it is important to start small and implement small changes that will lead to harmony in our lives. You want to get to the point where you can handle and sustain the change, and then jump with both feet.

Ultimately, in life change we reach a point where after having put the steps in place and calculated the course of action, the next move is to simply take action. The effect will not be felt until after you’ve done it. And you’ll never know until you jump. But only then you can compare life before and after the change and if it led to more balance in your life.

How Can You Deal With Change?

In my experience, try to deal with one change at a time and keep on adding. Change can be good especially when you feel stuck. Change gives you hope for the better. Change can make a difference in your life. Change can bring balance because you are prioritizing your needs, not those of others.

When there’s change, you will get push back. That’s life. Don’t pay attention to negative comments from people around you who think they’re doing you a favor by trying to show you what a big mistake you’re making by following your calling and not staying with the status quo. If you’ve done your due diligence, trust yourself.

Life can be unforgiving depending on how you choose to look at things. For many, it’s definitely not easy, but it’s all a matter of your mind and perception. Depending on your view, we can find all the excuses in the world to not doing something. To the contrary, we should be looking for ways to stay on course for calculated change and try to make a difference in our lives for the better. This is especially true if we seek balance.

Here is to the courage and strength for following our own path, unaffected by life’s obstacles we need to overcome every day. And here is to balance!